1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a stationary scanner apparatus with an image scanner, and more particularly to a stationary scanner apparatus with an image scanner having a readable area that is movable in a vertical direction.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, in a point-of-sales (POS) system, a store clerk conducts an item registration operation of registering items to be purchased by customers, and another store clerk conducts a checkout operation. A stationary scanner apparatus is used for an item registration operation. Some stationary scanner apparatuses use what is called an image scanner, which reads a bar code of an item with an imager such as a charge-coupled device (CCD) image sensor.
An image scanner has a narrower readable area as compared to a laser scanner. Therefore, a stationary scanner apparatus with an image scanner needs to have a mechanism for moving a readable area of the image scanner in a vertical direction so that an operator can conduct a reading operation at his/her optimal height.
Conventional examples of a stationary scanner apparatus having a mechanism for moving a readable area of an image scanner in a vertical direction include a bar code scanner having an area image sensor such as a CCD image pickup device with a lifting mechanism capable of changing the height of a bar code reader itself. See, e.g., JP-A 2009-075784 (Patent Literature 1).
The bar code scanner disclosed in Patent Literature 1 slides a bar code reader itself along guide grooves formed in a pair of support members to move the bar code reader in a vertical direction. Therefore, the weight of the bar code reader needs to be supported at each point in the vertical direction. Thus, the structure of the scanner is complicated and is large in size. Accordingly, such a bar code scanner becomes costly.
Furthermore, the bar code scanner disclosed in Patent Literature 1 requires a movement space for ensuring the vertical movement of the bar code reader itself. Such a movement space is provided only for moving the bar code reader in the vertical direction. Therefore, it is difficult to use the movement space for placing a basket or the like, for example. Thus, such a bar code scanner also has a problem in effective use of spaces around the scanner.